Vaporizer



A. J. STRATMAN yVAPORIZER Filed Nov. 5, |922 Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

UNITED STATES As: seien.

ALBERT J. STRATMAN, or Los Anc-Enns, CALIFORNIA.

'VAPORIZER.

Application filed November 3, 1922. Serial No. 598,761.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, ALBERT J. STRATMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new,

gasoline fed to the carbureter shall comprise relatively high boiling constituents, such as kerosene and distillate, these being common constituents of the so-called gasolines now commonly found on the market.

I have ascertained that as the carbureted mixture traverses the manifold of an auto mobile engine, there is a distinct tendency for the heavier oils to become condensed intokglo'bules of appreciablesize, this tendency being especially stro-ng in the neighborhood of the walls of the manifold where the effects of friction and cooling aremost marked. When a mixture comprisinglthese globules of a relatively heavy oil isfed into the cylinders of the engine, even though therebe present a sufiicient quantity of relatively light oils to `assure an explosiomthe combustion of the heavier ingredients is necessarily imperfect, the result being a loss of power and `an accumulation of 'carbon within the cylinders 4and all associated parts. It is an object of my inventio-n to break up the relatively large particles or globules of heavy oil just before the mixture containing them shall reach the cylinders of lthe engine, thereby assuring prompt ignition, perfect combustion, and the kavoidance of the numerous troubles which result .from the deposition of carbon-the net result being a marked increase in the mileage obtainable from every gallon of gasoline i A further object of my invention is the providing of a vaporizer which is highly efficient in use although relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of my invention is Vthe providing of a vaporizer adapted -to be easily inserted in such engines as arein common l use, ,particularly the -nsnssfef the A.Deere ,usual makes ofautomobiles; .lifurtll'ier1;l qbjects of my invention will appear from the following description and the appended. claims,

While my invention is capable of embodiment in any internal combustion engine which comprises a manifold and an engine block, or the equivalents of these, I herein show, fin diagrammatic form, an embodi ment thereof which is especially suitableto use in a Ford automobile, particular refers ence being made to the accompanying drawing wherein,

Figure. l is a horizontal section through the abutting plates of the manifold and the engine block.

2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section showing a modification of my vaporizer, disassembled.

Referring more specifically to the details of the drawing, which should be understood to be merelyy diagrammatic and illustrative, 1 indicates that portion of the manifold which abuts against the engine block 2. ConfinedA between the abutting plates of the parts referred to is a gasket 3, this gasket being commonly inserted by the manufacturers, to provide a gas tight joint between the parts referred to; this gasket commonly comprises an asbestos ring confined within a copper ring having an annular channel therefor. It will be understood that in the Ford machine, as marketed, there is a gland arranged within, and serving fo-r the alinement of, the openings Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line which connect the manifold with the engine which I prefer to dispose perforated or porous elements 5 and '6, which, in 'the embodiment shown,y are made of brass gauze, pref- Y erably of about thirty mesh tothe inch, and

cupped with particular regard to the purpose to be served thereby. l

As above indicated, the objectionable condensation of heavier oils` occurs/.chiefly in the .resign the Walls'pitbeieaafold. the bet ter portion of the carbureted mixture being found further from the said walls and nearer to the center of the channel through which the mixture is advancing. For this reason I prefer that the openings in the central portion of the cupped members 5 and 6 shall be relatively larger than the openings in those portions nearer to theV peripherie-s thereof. The desired effect is obtainable by die-pressing gauze of the character referred to, and having between twenty and eighty mesh to the inch according to the character of the opening Within which it is to be used, into substantially a hemispherica-l form. This cupping obviously has a tendency to diminish those openings which are near the peripheries of the elements referred to. Although -the cupped members of my vaporizer are shovvn as substantially heinispherical in their effective areas, it will be noticed that there is aV slight flattening in the' centers thereof, Where the apertures are largest. This I lind to be an advantage, although it isf not an indispensable feature of my device; and it should be understood that wherever reference is made herein to cupped members, this term should be construed as applicable to any one of a great variety of forms, whether conical or curved, and whether regular or irregular, pr'ovided they afford a relatively free passage for the explosive mixture, and compel those portions of said Y mixture which are nearest the walls of the manifold to be atomized by passage through relatively small openings.

Although the effective portions of the vaporizing elements 5 and 6 are shown as substantially hemispherical in form, one of these being shown as extending into the engine block, and the other being shown as extending into the manifold, I prefer to make, in the -formation thereof, sufficient allowance to provide for the overlapping of these elements within the ring 4, and to secure these elements to the ring 4 by any convenient means, such as drops of solder which may be allowed to pass through openings in the ring 4, as shown at 7. The mentioned soldering of the vaporizing elements 5 and 6 to the ring 4 serves to retain the entire organization of the vaporizer as an article of commerce in its assembled form; but therconiigurati'on of the overlapping portions of the respective cups is preferablyA such that after the insertion of the vaporizer and the compression of gasket 3, inclined faces adjacent said overlapping portions shall abut against the respective shoulders 8 and 9, thereby holding said elements in the desired relationship regardless of the presence or absence of solder.

It will be understood that while I have described the ring 4 as distinct from the gasket 3 Within Which it tightly fits, these 'elements may, Within the scope of my in- 4 serves not only to secure the vaporizing f elements 5 and 6 in their desired relative posi-tions, but aids also to secure the entire structure against removal, the lateral faces of the ring 4 being adapted to abut against the shoulders shown at 8 and 9 in the manifold and the engine block respectively.'

The width of the ring 4 is preferably slightly less than the distance between the mentioned shoulders 8 and 9, and the sidesof the cups 5 and 6 should not contact with the side walls of the members I andV 2, leak- 9 age being avoided by the mentioned close fit between the ring 4 and the gasket 3.

The accompanying drawings being diagrammatic, therelative thickness of the respective parts with which my vaporizer is associated are not reliably shown, and the relative sizes of the globules entering `and leaving the vaporizer are greatly exaggerated. It will be understood thatalthough a flat perforated surface substituted at the point Where I prefer to use my vaporizer would not satisfactorily accomplishthe purposes thereof, some advantage would be derived from the-use of one of the cupped elements 5 or 6 without the other. Changes in the form and proportion of the vaporizing velements are not only possible Within the scope of the present invention, but will be understood to be necessary in order to adapt the same to the various apertures and constructions found in internal combustion engines now on the market. It would, moreover, obviously be possible to embody the essential principle of my invention in vthe structure of an engine built withreference thereto, and I accordingly claim herein not only the vaporizer per se and the vaporizer in combination with such parts as are mentioned-above, but also the process fof promoting the combustion of mixtures 'comprising .heavy oils by the Iutilization of that principle, as defined in the appended claims, one important feature of my process being the mechanical revaporization of the-exploo sive mixture almost immediately before the entry of the same into the engine cylinder;

Finally, in Fig. 3 I have shown, on a small scale, a vaporizercomprising, in addition to the cupped members 5 and 6, and

their retaining ring 4, a perforated disc 10,

so upset at'its edge as to fit snugly Within the cup members and 6, aiding in their retention. A vaporizer of this general type is suitable only to such engines as are provided with what might be termed oversize openings-in which no choking effect can result. In eno'ines provided with exceptionally ample inzlet openings, the use of a dise provided with perforations of suitable sizes may in fact be found to obviate or diminish the need for one or more of the cupped elements 5 and 6.

In the ordinary Ford engine, the openings into the engine block are only about one inch in diameter, so that, in a vaporizer adapted to a Ford, no additional member such as the dise 10, is necessary or desirable.

What I claim is:

l. A vaporizer Comprising a ring adapted to fit in the gland seat between a manifold and an engine block, a cupped gauze member having a straight band portion fitting in the ring and extending one way, and a second cupped gauze member having a second straight band portion fitting in the first straight band and extending the other way, there being perforations through the three overlapping parts and solder in the perforations to hold the parts together.

2. A vaporizer comprising a ring adapted to fit in the gasket between an intake manifold and an engine block and to fit in the gland seat and to take the place of the gland serving to hold the intake manifold opening in alinement with the engine block opening, a cupped gauze member having a straight band portion fitting in the ring and extending one way, and a second cupped gauze member having a second straight band portion fitting in the first straight band and eX- tending the other way, there being perforations through the three overlapping parts and solder in the perforations to hold the parts together.

3. A vaporizer comprising a ring adapted to lit in the gland seat between a manifold and an engine block, a cupped gauze member having a straight band portion fitting in the ring and extending one way, a second cupped gauze member having a second straight band portion fitting in the rst straight band and extending the other way, and a perforated dise having an upset edge fitting snugly within the second band, there being perforations through the three overlapping parts and solder in the perforations to hold the parts together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT J. STRATMAN. 

